Oh my goodness! Month 4 was quite fun! Kaiden’s growing and developing in so many ways. I often feel like he’s changing by the day. So much to report on…
STATE OF KAIDEN
Kaiden picks up a new trick every week. This past week he’s been gurgling his spit and making THE cutest noises. Probably sounds weird to most, but we love it! His fun screams are also now my favorite thing in the world. I can’t get enough. And don’t get me started on the facial expressions. My MIL says K looks different every time you look at him.
Kaiden loves putting his hands in his mouth. It may as well be his favorite thing to do!
Our little guy also ‘walks’ with lots of support and help. Vishnu wants him to skip the crawling stage and move straight to walking. A dad with big dreams! Kaiden’s starting to sit without much support too. I think we’ll need month 5 to get there, but it’s looking promising! We’re also working on rolling over. Truth be told, the fact that he hasn’t yet is probably my fault. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I wasn’t as diligent with tummy time as I should’ve been. I’d put K down for a few minutes, but the minute he started screaming, up he’d go. Oops! I’m on top of it now though!
Kaiden is also now very aware of our routines. For example, he knows when we’re about to feed him. He goes from crazy to calm the minute we put his bib on. And if you’re not quick enough between bottle switches, he shows his displeasure by crying the cutest cry.
Bath time is a ton of fun right now. Kaiden just chills in his little baby tub as I give him a good wash. It’s like the process doesn’t phase him one bit. I love it because Vishnu and I usually tackle this together and have fun while we’re at it. You should see some of the pics we have!
As far as sleep goes, we’re hitting some kind of phase because K went from sleeping through the night to a couple of wake ups per night. And by wake up, I mean he literally wakes up for 5-10 minutes and then falls back asleep. It could be worse, but man did he spoil us up until now! I’m hoping we can move past this phase quickly (especially because I start work this week!). I doubt it though because at his four month appointment we found out that his teeth will likely start to come in soon. So he’s probably teething! Poor baby! Something that helps a TON in the going back to sleep quickly department is an app called Baby Shhh (I can’t find a link but just search for it in the app store). With this app, you can record your own sushing sound and play it for up to 15 minutes (for free). Kaiden must find the sound of my shushes very relaxing because he’s usually back asleep ASAP. And this is great because it means we can put him down when he’s sleepy but awake and allow him to fall asleep on his own.
Speaking of me, the entire family agrees Kaiden’s a mama’s boy! AND I LOVE IT! It totally makes sense since I’ve spent the most amount of time with him, but I also think it’s because I tried to be super present and make each moment count over the past four months. I love how he searches for me when I’m out of sight and how he giggles when I tell him I’m going to eat him and how he cuddles up in my arms every night. This is one phase I hope we can stretch out FOREVER!
Overall, Kaiden is one chill and happy little guy! It’s insane how much joy he brings to everyone around him! I know I say this every month, but I really can’t wait to see what month five has in store for us. 🙂
STATE OF MAMA
I’ll be honest. This month was full of ups and downs for me. The downs were mostly because the end of my maternity loomed closer with every passing day. I’m finally in a better place now mentally and have come to terms with the fact that I have to go back. More than that, I want to go back and am excited about it. The guilt may stick around for a bit longer, but I know this transition is going to be just fine. And according to all of my working mama friends, it truly does get easier eventually. More on the working mama life to come soon!
Speaking of this transition, I’ve also comes to terms with the fact that in order to get through the work days in one relatively sane piece, I’m going to have to be the most organized I’ve ever been in my life. This means I’ll be project managing my little family and utilizing every minute as efficiently as possible. For example, lunches will need to made the night before. My clothes will need to be picked out and ironed the night before. I’ll have to wake up super early (I’m talking the four o’clock hour!) to pump, [hopefully] work out, shower, and get ready before K is up. Etc, etc, etc. I think “I can do hard things” will be my new mantra!
In other news, my post-partum hair loss is at an all time high. It’s INSANE how much hair I lose on a daily basis. I can pretty much run my hand through my hair at any given point and pull out at least 10 pieces if not more (lots more). While I didn’t lose any hair during my pregnancy, I’m really hoping this ends soon because baldness feels not too far off at this point. If anyone has any tips, please share away in the comments!
And finally, I’m excited to share that my dad’s here and will be staying with us to take care of K until he starts daycare in early January. Vishnu and I are VERY lucky to have parents who can and want to be a huge part of Kaiden’s life. The stars totally lined up to have my dad here as I transition back to work, and I’m so excited for K to bond with his nana (grandpa). I was a little nervous about how/if Kaiden would adjust to my dad and how my dad would handle everything but so far so good. K has really taken to my dad, and I’m hoping that stays the case when I’m at work.
STATE OF DADDY
You guys, my husband is our hero! I honestly don’t know how he functions on such little sleep. And not only does he function, but he’s present with both me and K when he’s home. I know from our conversations that spending so little time with Kaiden is hard on Vishnu. He obviously wishes he could stay at home or not work weekends, but it is what it is. We’re really trying to make the most of it!
Vishnu LOVES this age (I have a feeling every age will be his favorite) because Kaiden is the most interactive he’s been. Also, how can you not love this age when your baby wears a big gummy smile on his face most of the day.
Vishnu and Kaiden are definitely building their own special relationship, and it’s so fun to watch! Kaiden may prefer mama right now, but I have a feeling daddy will soon be his favorite person.
STATE OF PAR AND VISHNU
In terms of me and Vishnu, we’re still figuring out how to carve out ‘us’ time. It’s so freaking hard when you’re both exhausted and want to collapse in bed any chance you get! But while this time is super limited, we try to make the most of what we have. We talk about things other than K (easier said than done!) when we can, we do the dishes together, we watch our favorite shows together, we hold hands, we steal kisses, etc. I have no doubt we’ll get there!
Other than that, I’m excited (and a little nervous) to share that we’re taking our first airplane trip with Kaiden in mid-November to Nashville. A group of our friends is renting a house and getting together for the weekend, and while a less than 48 hour trip with an infant initially sounded crazy, we decided to go for it. I’m so glad we did because Vishnu’s working all the holidays this year – Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Not ideal at all, but we’ll make it work like we always do. I’m just hoping this means he’ll get most, if not all, of these holidays off next year (fingers crossed!).
And there you have it. Month 4 with baby K! Another great one in the books. 🙂
